Restoring the Drive
By: Staff 07/01/2006
Pictured are AmeriCorps workers cleaning around the markers on Victory Memorial Drive. Photo by Debbie Nelson.
For the past two months a team of nine AmeriCorps members have been working with Groundwork Minneapolis and local neighborhoods to rejuvenate and develop community spaces - and they’ve spent a lot of time in Camden.
Some team members spent considerable time working on Victory Memorial Drive; they raised 250 markers that had sunk into the ground and trimmed around all 581 WWI Veteran’s markers. They also created a map of all the markers and noted which Veteran’s markers were missing. They even found some markers with names that were not on the current list. And they attempted to call everyone who had adopted a marker in the past to see if they were still taking care of it.
They also worked with Patrick Henry High School’s garden club to create a rain garden and did in-fill plantings around Ryan Lake. And they worked at a PPL site at Lyndale and Washington to repaint the interior of the three buildings and made the rec area in between buildings more accessible and aesthetically pleasing.
Founded in 1994, AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps is a full time residential national service program in which 1,100 18-24-year-olds serve each year. During their 10 month term, Corps members work on small project teams that address compelling community needs, to improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety, address unmet human needs and assist with disaster relief. In exchange for their service, Corps members receive $4,725 to help pay for college or student loans. They also get a living stipend, room and board, leadership development, team building skills, and the knowledge that through active citizenship, people can indeed make a difference. For info visit www.americorps.gov/nccc.